I think it should go online from now on. Questions don't have to be monitored real time necessarily, though you can do that way if you like. They can be answered in follow up fashion on the website in a FAQ format. It can even be utilized as study materials rather than a quick hit during the live session that people might miss (while talking) or forget about. Plus, the online session is recorded and can always be accessed.
Plus, I think the best part is that there are the potential for fewer mistakes than in live sessions. I do live session training; I like it. It is a great format. But for this many people and for summer months when people have other things on their mind -- really, who WANTS to be at a Regional Clinic or State Meeting when you can be pool side or at the lake or any one of 100 other activities (including watching a game in front of your home big screen -- except this year) -- online training is a much better idea. The time has come and, having to do it now, we no longer have an excuse. For people that join late, they have the resources to get trained properly.
I can't think of a single reason, other than easier access to the actual equipment we need to purchase (to see and try out new things) from the vendors, for a live clinic. The presenters may have to put in a little more work but aggregately, given that there are fewer of them, there should be fewer total man hours. Physical space costs way more than online resources. If you want to horse around with your buddies, there's this thing called a phone, your car, and a bar when it finally opens (or a golf course). Either or both are MUCH more fun than a clinic.
